Ask A Simple Question, Get a Simple Answer (No AMoL Spoilers)

[yoniy0]

when Rand is battling the seanchan in PoD what is it that caused saidin to "feel strange" to Rand & the ashaman? Morr mentions it to Rand the first time in Ch.14 Message from the M'Hael, it is also mentioned by an ashaman in Ch. 23 fog of war storm of battle(saidin feels... strange here) and Dashivas ward is also affected while speaking with Rand inCh .24 a time for iron

It's a side effect of the unorthodox use of the Bowl (which was made to control the weather in a very localized area, not the entire world, and stretched thin thanks to the expertise of the Windfinders).

You'll note that damane in Altara experience very similar effects.

 

I just finished CoS. Liah. Rand went to Shadar Logoth to kill Sammael, and came across her. I was confused, how is it that she's still alive after all of these months?

Never really explained. Just chalk it down to her being an uber-ninja Aiel. Then meeting Rand throws her off her game, and she gets tagged.

 

ALSO, when Mashadar grabbed Liah she screamed and howled and struggled and it took quite a while. Meanwhile, Rand glances at her, glances back at Sammael and he's just gone without a peep. Mashadar really ate him!?

Yeah, that's weird as well, but RJ flat out said Sammael was caught and killed (beyond the DO's ability to fix) by Mashadar.

[Ingtar Shinowa]

Do pasta or noodles exist in the WoT universe?

 

If so, I don't believe we have seen them. There was, however, a sweet and sour stir-fry, which for some reason I found odd.

 

I found that exceedingly odd myself. And then... I went out for Chinese food.

 

 

They don't talk about food too much in the books, but lots of stuff does get mentioned. Everybody is ready for some cheese at any time of the day. I cracked up when I read a thing earlier in CoS, where the girls are puking over the side of the boat, and that reminded Mat of his own stomach. I was eating, so I was hoping he wasn't going to start ralfing as well. No, turns out he was hungry! So he started munching some cheese.

 

Is there a database of food mentions? Weird question, I know, but... Toy'varen started it with weird questions about noodles!

 

It would have made more sense to me if RJ had gone with yakitori or bulgogi. Real shame that food wasn't a bigger part of the story as it's pretty much THE main concern for people without refrigeration or the ability to bop down to the local megamart.

[Luckers]

 

RyanL24, on 02 July 2011 - 01:07 AM, said:

 

I just finished CoS. Liah. Rand went to Shadar Logoth to kill Sammael, and came across her. I was confused, how is it that she's still alive after all of these months?

 

 

Never really explained. Just chalk it down to her being an uber-ninja Aiel. Then meeting Rand throws her off her game, and she gets tagged.

 

 

 

Yup. RJ said the exact same thing.

 

DaveB62 asks: How do you explain Liah being in Shadar Logoth for so long?

 

RJ: She became absorbed into the city. She was left there and she is, after all, an Aiel, one of the people better at surviving under harsh circumstances than anyone else in the world. And also her corruption by Shadar Logoth gave her some protection.

 

 

RyanL24, on 02 July 2011 - 01:07 AM, said:

 

ALSO, when Mashadar grabbed Liah she screamed and howled and struggled and it took quite a while. Meanwhile, Rand glances at her, glances back at Sammael and he's just gone without a peep. Mashadar really ate him!?

 

 

Yeah, that's weird as well, but RJ flat out said Sammael was caught and killed (beyond the DO's ability to fix) by Mashadar.

 

 

Balefire, my darlings. Due to it, where Mashadar was changed--Sammael was consumed BEFORE Rand looked over to were he had been--note how Mashadar wasn't there, then was.

[DigitalSoul]

Were Elan Morin Tedronai and Lews Therín freinds?

[yoniy0]

Boss, have you forgotten how to use nested quotes?

Anyhoo, this thing about BF is interesting. I don't know if its not having grabbed Leah could make it do something else instead - like go after Sammael - but whatever.

[Superhal]

Were Elan Morin Tedronai and Lews Therín freinds?

 

As they were contemporaries and both AS, they probably knew each other, but friendship was never mentioned.

 

It's also possible that they had the opposite relationship as Gaidin Cain and Brigitte: they would always be spun out of the pattern within a few years of each other, and until they met, they would be searching for their ultimate nemesis.

Edited July 2, 2011 by Toy'varen

[Superhal]

What happened to Nestelle din Sakura? (The windfinder damane whom Mat told to wait 3 hours in the Ebou Dar kennels?)

 

Nevermind, found the answer at WoT Encyclopaedia.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Toy'varen

[Luckers]

Boss, have you forgotten how to use nested quotes?

Anyhoo, this thing about BF is interesting. I don't know if its not having grabbed Leah could make it do something else instead - like go after Sammael - but whatever.

 

You, sir, are in big trouble. I'm considering locking you in that room on the staff board. You know the one... where we keep Barm and Krak. That one.

 

But yeah, being hit with Balefire changed what Mashadar had done--and, as a result, where it had moved and who it consumed. You have to remember that balefire not only undoes things, it causes for new things to have occured in their place. So in the same way that, say, Mat and Aviendha and Asmodean killed Trollocs in Caemlyn between when Rahvin killed them and when Rand balefired Rahvin, so too did Mashadar move and kill Sammael in the new timeline created by Rand balefiring Liah and the Mashadar touching her.

 

As they were contemporaries and both AS, they probably knew each other, but friendship was never mentioned.

 

 

Yeah, I doubt friendship as well, though Rand spoke to 'Elan' with a fair degree of familiarity in tGS, so I'm guessing they were probably at least aquainted.

[Ingtar Shinowa]

Do we have an idea of how many spears are in a given Aiel warrior society? How many Stone Dogs, Thunder Walkers, Black Eyes etc are there?

[Superhal]

Is Randland in the southern hemisphere? It seems to me the farther north you go, the warmer it gets.

 

Also, how big is Randland? My guess is it is the same size as Europe, but I suspect it is smaller.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Toy'varen

[David Selig]

Apart from the Blight, which is an aberration, it's quite clear that it's warmer in the South and colder up north. The winters in the Borderlands are really cold, but in Illian it never snows, etc.

[Superhal]

Do we have an idea of how many spears are in a given Aiel warrior society? How many Stone Dogs, Thunder Walkers, Black Eyes etc are there?

 

I don't believe we can ever figure that one out. We can guess at average clan size based on what happened at Alcar Dal, but societies are spread out through all the clans. Rhuarc said Taardad number 12k. They also did some rough estimates about how many spears fell to the Bleakness, how many became gai'shan, how many left to join the Shaido, etc. Iirc, at one point (before Couladin was killed) it was estimated that the Shaido swelled to 200k, which is (iirc) 1/5 of the total Aiel. (1 mil total, divided by the number of clans.) In battles since then, I would guess that number has shrunk considerably, only 40k or so were left of the Shaido at Dumai's wells, along with losses among Rand's allies, and then the betrayal of the Shaido by Sammael, and then the massacre during the rescue of Faile.

 

Also, we don't know how many civilians make up the Aiel, so the numbers get cloudier still. I believe the Taardad brought everybody to Alcar Dal, but the other clans only brought spears.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Toy'varen

[Ludo]

Northern, I thought. With Tear and Illian being hotter than Andor, and well the Borderlands are always fairly cold it seems. The Blight being stubborn is hotter.

[Finnssss22]

When all 12 clans finally crossed the Dragonwall, there was close to 650,000 spears. Not counting Wiseone's or women (non-Maidens) or children or gai'shain. Actual spears.

 

tFoH chptr 42

The Shaido numbered about 160,000 spears.

The Codarra, Daryne, Miagomaand and Shiande about equaled the Shaido for another 160,000 spears.

Rand and the remaining 7 clans with him about matched both of these groups together, around 320,000 spears.

 

My guess would be that as it sits right now, Rand has between 300,000-400,000 Aiel spears still.

[CidV630]

what is the Isle of madmen/land of madmen I'm hearing about? Was it in the books because i dont remember it being mentioned.

[Superhal]

what is the Isle of madmen/land of madmen I'm hearing about? Was it in the books because i dont remember it being mentioned.

 

It's mentioned in a paragraph or two in the "The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time."

 

Here's what Wikipedia says: Little is known about this separate, island continent, except that, apparently, all channelers there are insane, and civilization did not survive the Breaking. It is directly south and well below the equator from the main continent, near the Southern Icecap.

[CidV630]

Thanks for answering, is that the big one with the white cover?? I've wanted to buy it but never have enough $$$

[capuga]

Thanks for answering, is that the big one with the white cover?? I've wanted to buy it but never have enough $$$

 

Yep, that's the one. You'll also see it referred to as the Big White Book or BWB.

[Thaed]

Doing a re-read through the series and, as of CoT, I cannot remember what the Ajah Heads in the WT are "planning" with having the too young women in the hall. Anyone able to refresh me if it is revealed?

[yoniy0]

When all 12 clans finally crossed the Dragonwall, there was close to 650,000 spears.

[...]

My guess would be that as it sits right now, Rand has between 300,000-400,000 Aiel spears still.

So, from 490k to 300-400k? That's quite a few casualties (well into double digit percentage). I think 400k in the very least is more reasonable, considering the butcher mostly skipped Rand's Aiel so far (Dumai's Wells saw minimal involvement from them, and they were completely absent in Altara. Cairhien was probably the last time they saw major action).

[Luckers]

Doing a re-read through the series and, as of CoT, I cannot remember what the Ajah Heads in the WT are "planning" with having the too young women in the hall. Anyone able to refresh me if it is revealed?

 

Read this: The Too-Young Sitter Conspiracy It's from my FAQ and Theory list which is stuck at the top of the board.

[Finnssss22]

When all 12 clans finally crossed the Dragonwall, there was close to 650,000 spears.

[...]

My guess would be that as it sits right now, Rand has between 300,000-400,000 Aiel spears still.

So, from 490k to 300-400k? That's quite a few casualties (well into double digit percentage). I think 400k in the very least is more reasonable, considering the butcher mostly skipped Rand's Aiel so far (Dumai's Wells saw minimal involvement from them, and they were completely absent in Altara. Cairhien was probably the last time they saw major action).

 

Wasn't so much thinking about casualties, was thinking about how many more were lost to the bleakness. I might have even been too generous saying 350k-400k all things considered. Even into aCoS chptr 3 "Every day a thousand or more throw down their spears and vanish".

According to the Timeline, that was about 4 months after the Shaido were routed from Cairhien, so who knows how long that went on.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Finnssss

[yoniy0]

Ah, yes. But for most of these 4 months there were no more shaido to join. Plus TG is nearing. I don't think that pace would've continued.

[Finnssss22]

Ah, yes. But for most of these 4 months there were no more shaido to join. Plus TG is nearing. I don't think that pace would've continued.

 

Only a small percentage actually went to join the Shaido though and the ones that did, didn't generally give up their spears.

Most actually either took on gai'shain full-time or just plain ran off.

 

Like I mentioned, the part about 1000 spears a day was still happening almost 4 months later.

So....10k a week for about 12 weeks so far...that's 120k and by the tone of that passage is wasn't slowing yet either.

Even if the pace finally did slow right down after that point, the damage was more than done.

 

I think you're grossly underestimating how many Aiel were lost to the bleakness.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Finnssss

[yoniy0]

Yeah, it seems you're right. Hopefully, most of those who threw their spears are still in the tents. Perhaps they'll come out of it post TG.